Friday, 25 February 2011

DEPRESSED BUTTONS (Mad Decent)Most commonly known as three-fifths of the influential indie-synth outfit, The Faint, Clark Baechle, Todd Fink, and Jacob Thiele have begun their journey into the future of sound with their new project Depressed Buttons. The men behind the drums, vox, and keyboards of the revered Faint were among the first to give punk kids a taste of keyboard-based dance music in the late 1990s.

Now outfitted as Depressed Buttons, they have taken on the electronic/dance world with an entirely new sound. With remixes for Of Montreal and Boys Noize under their belts and remixes for Boy 8-Bit and Shinichi Osawa on the way, Mad Decent signed them to release their first EP, "QWERTY," back in December 2010.

The four-track debut EP didn't digress from The Faint’s intention to make an entire audience fill the dance floor, but Depressed Buttons does lead into a new sound of digital dance dimension. With a filthy lust for synthesizers, the band creates all of their own tracks, leaving listeners entranced and entangled within a web of angular stabs and thick pads. Don’t let the word “depressed” fool you, a button that's depressed isn't sad; it's turned on, which is exactly what "QWERTY" does to listeners.

JAMIE WOON (live)Jamie Woon, like James Blake, is one of those new male artists showing what can happen when you combine conventionally strong soulful vocals with dubstep's eerie spaciousness and resonant production techniques.Woon experienced an epiphany when Burial remixed his little heard rendition of 'Wayfaring Stranger'. Injecting some bass, the reclusive producer completed changed the singer's view of music.

Assisting Jamie Woon is recent album sessions, the track 'Night Air' boasted some additional production from Burial. The result was a stunning song, with Woon's voice riding atop some rumbling sub-bass.

Named at number 4 in the of BBC Sound of 2011, Jamie Woon is preparing to release his debut album.

Jamie's track 'Night Air' appreared in the majority of the 'End Of 2010 Charts', and featured an official remixes by Ramadanman and Deadboy and a cheeky bootleg refix by Rinse FM's Marco Del Horno.

Thursday, 24 February 2011

"In early 1999 we launched our first event at Deluxe (now Cookie Club) on a Thursday night. The plan was to put on a party playing the music we love. So far that plan has lasted 12 years and it continues to remain the same in 2011. The people who come to Detonate month after month are the main reason for the success of the night so we hope you'll come down and celebrate 12 years of Detonate...."

Wednesday, 23 February 2011

DEM SLACKERSDespite only being 18 years old Dem Slackers has quite a few releases to his name. He found his love for producing about five years ago and decided to spend more time making music in 2008. Since then he has signed two EPs (one on Wearhouse and one on BMKLTSCHRCRDS), made official remixes for Lil’ Wayne, Foamo and Mightyfools and was asked to remix for Kissy Sell Out’s San City High and Bart B More’s Secure Recordings to name a few.

Next to producing he also started out DJing not long after, and his live act was soon discovered and praised by many – his tracks are supported by Crookers, Steve Aoki, Fake Blood, Don Rimini, Sinden, Tommy Sunshine, Mightyfools and many more, and with tours in Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands and the UK already confirmed it won’t be long for him to take over the world!

Check out his new "Million Dollars" promo mix, recorded just last week:

Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Oneman plays a lot of old tunes, an exception in a scene obsessed with the perpetual "moving forward never backwards" motion of dubplate culture. Again, as such a DJ, he should be confined to the ranks of the many DJs out there. But over the last few years Oneman has most definitely moved ahead of the pack.

'I just wanna make people dance and people dance to good beats,' says Oneman.

Few epitomized what an incredible year 2010 was as DJ Oneman, this column's DJ of the year. When Loefah put him forward for Mary Anne Hobbs' Generation Bass showcase in 2008, his talent as a DJ was undeniable, yet mixing early DMZ releases into old UK garage records will only take you so far. Instead he spent the next two years walking a new path, eventually ushering in a new generation of producers and sounds distinct from the grime, funky, dubstep, and garage scenes that inspired them.

By summer, armed with peerless mixing skills and new Serato tricks, Oneman would reach Slimzee circa 2003, Hatcha '04, or DMZ '06 levels of creativity, putting clear water between himself and the very hot competition. He broke one of the records of the year, Girl Unit's "Wut", and launched his 502 label with two fresh new artists, Fis-T and Jay Weed. His appearances on the cult ustream show 'Boiler Room' have got the internet world buzzing - notably playing unknown dubplates such as the much hyped 'Sicko Cell':

For his most recent mix head over to the LuckyMe website, or click here to download. With a tracklisting that includes Jamie xx, Girl Unit, Joker, Canblaster, Wiley, Prince, Marcus Intalex, French Fries, Digital Mystikz, Scuba, Addison Groove, Mobb Deep, Zed Bias, Boddika and Justin Timberlake (?!?) you really need to get this on your iPod!

And if you like the sound of that then head over to his Mixcloud page where you can find more audio heat :)

Monday, 21 February 2011

Claude VonStroke does not scowl and look mean while he DJs. He does not pretend to know everything and he will be nice to you and your friends. He is grateful to be doing music for a living and he knows that the reason people go to parties is to have fun. If you want to act cool and not have any fun then he is not the right DJ for you.

Claude’s real name is Barclay Crenshaw, a guy raised in the suburbs Detroit who wanted to be a filmmaker but always had a knack for music. After several different careers, VonStroke started the “dirtybird” label at the age of 32.

Since 2005, dirtybird has carved out a niche as a premiere American label and has released over 40 EPs from the likes of dollop favourites The Martin Brothers (Justin & Christian), Julio Bashmore, Riva Starr, Solo, Zombie Disco Squad, Tim Green, Worthy & Style Of Eye.

In an effort to give something back to the community VonStroke unveiled a new label “mothership” in 2007. A large percentage of the label’s proceeds go to a music school for children in Claude’s hometown of Detroit, Michigan. This label features more euro-flavored techno and house featuring groups like Catz ‘n Dogz, Maetrik and Voodeux.

Tour wise, Claude has headlined almost every major club, festival and basement after-party in the world.

Two of the most talked about sets in dollop history have been provided by Claude VonStroke - firstly his epic 3 hour set back in 2008 and most recently in the dollop room at the 2010 Indoor Festival. Still riding high on the critical acclaim for his 'Bird Brain' LP, we are looking forward to welcoming him back to dollop at Stealth!

Friday, 18 February 2011

After what will be an almost unbearable break in zleeps we return with surely one of the most iconic/charismatic DJs on the circuit in the form of utterly mesmerising and sometimes enigmatic SETH TROXLER.

But cynics beware, amidst all the hype it is clear to see that DC-10 resident Seth is undeniably one of the most gifted dj/producers to have risen to prominence in the last few years. Having just been voted 3rd best DJ of 2010 on what is widely regarded as the foremost online house & techno forum Resident Advisor, being pipped to the post by some guy called Richie and a certain Ricky V...

The man has released EP's on a whole host of respected and generally boundary-shattering labels (Circus Company/Crosstown Rebels/Esperanza/Raum/Spectral Sound/Wagon Repair/ Wolf + Lamb..) as well mix compilations such as the critically acclaimed Boogy Bytes Vol 05 on Bpitch Control.

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

Lone originally turned heads with his wonky but nonetheless charming take on dreamy instramental hiphop most notably in his critically accalimed 'Lemurian' LP. More recently he's picked up the tempo and carved a a niche all of his own with knowing nods to early 90's house and Detroit techno.

All this is summed up perfectly on his fantastic mini LP 'Emerald fantasy Tracks' released on his very own Magic Wire Recordings.

It's no exaggeration to say that Matt is not only the most gifted producer to come out of Nottingham perhaps ever, but he's arguably the single most exciting producer in the UK at the moment.

Tuesday, 15 February 2011

GIRL UNIT (Night Slugs)Philip Gamble, the 24-year-old Londoner behind the GU mask, began DJing circa 2006-7 as 'Girl U No It's True', and after a few years decided to move into the world of music production. After playing alongside L-Vis 1990 and Bok Bok at one of their Night Slugs parties in London, Girl Unit passed on some of his tracks, showcasing his UK take on RnB/rap and regional US club music styles. This resulted in Girl Unit's first release, the 'IRL EP', which came out in early 2010 on the Night Slugs label:

The release of his second Night Slugs EP was pushed forward due to the hype surrounding it - with DJs jacking clips and making their own playable edits of the tracks from online mixes. The title track ‘Wut’ was proclaimed single of the year by some of the most influential figures in bass music before it was even released.

‘Wut’ is the kind of uber-anthem bound to induce the kind of awestruck stupefaction as exemplified in its vocal refrain. Put simply, ‘Wut’ is massive, euphoric, a tune, big, banging, thrashing, whatever adjective you might want to throw at it; it satisfies every and all criteria." - Fact Magazine

The track has featured in the majority of the 'Top tracks of 2010' lists, sound tracking parties all over the globe. Here are a few clips showing the reaction the track has been causing in the clubs:

Girl Unit has also created remixes for CRST, Wigflex's Taylor and Katy B and Ms Dynamite:

During Girl Unit’s DJ sets he tries to cohesively work his way through global house sounds, dirty south instrumentals, detroit/chicago classics, raw US club tracks and local bangers from rising UK producers, as well as his own productions and Night Slugs label mates releases. Here are two of his mixes to give you an idea of what to expect from his set at Stealth Vs Rescued:

Friday, 11 February 2011

DZ (True Tiger/Hotflush/Badman Press)The North American bass dub slinger DZ is no stranger to dance floors worldwide, with the likes of Rusko, Diplo, Jack Beats, Crookers, MRK1, Herve, Datsik, Sinden, Excision and Starkey all regularly playing his tracks. His track 'Down' (released on True Tiger) became the biggest selling Dubstep track on Beatport in 2008, leading to high-profile remixes for the likes of Major Lazer, Wu Tang Clan, Jokers Of The Scene and Crookers.

MAN LIKE ME (live)Man Like Me's unique blend of British pop reflects a fresh approach to their earlier sound. Best known for their ska, grime, indie blend, the band’s brazen lyrics are less self-conscious than some of their musical counterparts, and revel in the realities, perks and calamity of being a young Londoner.

Check out their track Y.A.F.M.I.T.K.A.P (which you might well have heard soundtracking the recent Ikea advert)!

DJ Hype is widely considered one of the pillars of modern drum and bass, with a pivotal role in expanding musical styles within that genre.

A renown battle DJ (he represented England in the 1989 DMCs), Hype had a history of electrifying deckwork before moving on from his reggae and hip-hop roots in the late '80s and latching onto house and hardcore. He was an early force on one of London's most influential pirate stations, Fantasy FM, and since then he's consistently topped bills on the international DJ circuit, landing awards for Best Male DJ and Best Radio DJ (in 1994 and 1995, respectively) at the U.K.'s prestigious Hardcore Awards.

Currently he is one of London's popular Kiss FM's biggest attractions and was the force behind Suburban Base's popular multi-volumed mixed compilation series, Drum and Bass Selection.

Hype began producing in 1990, but it wasn't until he launched his own Ganja label in 1994 that he began seriously focusing on the post-rave possibilities of sampled breaks. The Ganja label's almost immediate popularity, primarily through floor-fillers such as DJ Zinc's 1995 anthem "Super Sharp Shooter", led to a major label deal and the establishment of True Playaz Music, a Hype-led DJ and production unit (alongside Zinc, Pascal & Rude Bwoy Monty).

His label True Playaz / Playaz has also come to the fore as one of the more consistent outlets for Drum & Bass and Jungle, featuring releases from the likes of DJ Hazard, Taxman, Original Sin & DJ Friction. As a DJ Hype is in demand more than ever, performing sell out shows all over the globe, including his monthly 'Playaz' clubnights at Fabric, London.

As a DJ, Bok Bok has been stacking riddims like Lego bricks since 2004, with his roots deep in the UK Grime sound. Unorthodox in every way, that music set off Bok Bok down a unique path. Since then he has spread his sights wider, taking in elements of gutter styles from around the globe, all of which share a certain off-the-wall bass-heavy vibe. Disregarding purism he instead hunts all over for fresh dubplates.

In 2007 Bok Bok entered the world of production, at first building tools for his own DJ sets then moving onto original material. Beatmaking quickly became a major focus as his tracks found a place amongst London's new wave of pioneers. As a remixer he would apply the reckless attitude of early Grime, flipping tracks into a whole new context. Bok Bok remixes of Dre Skull, Jinder, Kingdom, Crazy Cousinz and many others are tried and tested underground bangers in clubs internationally. At the tail-end of last year one of his solo productions was released as part of Modeselektor's 'Modeselektion Vol.01' compilation (alongside SBTRKT, Ikonika, Digital Mystikz & Ramadanman):

In 2008 Bok Bok teamed up with like-minded producer L-Vis 1990 to launch Night Slugs, a club night dedicated to their new hybrid sound. Over its three year existence the party has become a cornerstone of the city's music scene, hosting both homegrown stars and international guests, nurturing fresh talent and showcasing the best forward thinking club music cross-genre. In late 2009, Night Slugs expanded into a label, drawing together a crew of protagonists from various backgrounds: Kingdom from NYC, Jacques Greene from Montreal, Egyptrixx from Toronto and Girl Unit, Lil Silva, Mosca, Greena and Jam City from the UK.

After the appearance of his sublime 'U Cheated' EP, the Numbers squad snatched him up and released the even bigger 'If U Want Me', which solidified his penchant for swinging garage beats and pitch-shifted vocal snippets.